Sure, there are commercial options out there that will automated the process of turning on your dust collection system when you start to use a power tool in your workshop, but none are this cheap and creative.
Zach, from Byte Sized has put together this great tutorial on how to create an autosswitch for your dust collector. This unit detects when you have turned something on that is connected to it, like a table saw and it turn, it turns on your dust collection system for you.
This tutorial contains everything you need to build one yourself, parts list, code and even the STL files so you can 3D print your own case.
[how to make a simple switch to automatically turn on shop vac]
